Wildberries
by xSakuraBlossom
Summary: Maka is perfectly willing to meet with her father and get to know each other again. Her father doesn't seem to harbor the same feelings... SoulxMaka. 3-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or anything to do with it.

A/N: This is a fanfic inspired by some cute doujinshi I read some time ago. It was on fakku. net, but there was no hentai, just fluff. Lots and lots of fluff and sugary sweetness. Look them up, they're called "Strawberries and Mint" and "Upright". This is kind of a mix of both, but not really. This will be a 3 shot.

Ch. 1

The bell rang, signaling the release of hundreds of relieved students from the stuffy confines of the classroom. Maka leaned back in her seat, stretching languidly like a cat, loosening stiff muscles from sitting all day.

Someone tapped her shoulder, and she turned to face her partner and friend. "Hey, Maka, we'd better get going. It looks like it's going to rain soon." Soul, looking as bored and nonchalant as always, stood beside her, looking down at her. He was too concerned with looking cool, Maka thought. Even now, when he was actually trying to watch out for her, he didn't like to admit it.

She smiled up at him, grateful for his concern- even if she wasn't going to let him know that. "You can go ahead without me. I'm meeting with my dad today in a little while. We're going to go out somewhere to eat, so I guess you don't need to cook dinner for me either. I'll be home before 9, k?"

Soul frowned slightly, but the moment passed, and his expression returned to normal. "Whatever," he muttered. "Where are you going to wait for him?"

"At the top of Shibusen." Was her reply.

After a slight pause, Soul offered, "Do you want me to wait with you?" He didn't like the thought of her waiting out there alone for a few hours. Spirit's punctuality- or lack thereof- was a joke in the school. Despite his promise to meet her after school, it was likely she would be waiting for a long while before he appeared.

She shook her head, pigtails flopping around her bouncily. "It's all right. You get home before it starts raining." She waved goodbye to him cheerfully.

Soul nodded, knowing a lost cause when he saw one, and left the classroom alone. It was a normal occurrence for Maka to meet up with her father. It was almost always Spirit who arranged it, wanting to bond with his daughter; Maka, despite her complaints, also wanted to regain her relationship with her father, and so agreed to meet up with him every so often.

But Soul couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen that day.

He rolled his eyes as he started up his bike. Now he was just being ridiculous. He wasn't superstitious or anything. Dreams and premonitions held no meaning for him. There was no reason for him to feel uneasy.

And yet, despite his skepticism, he still worried.

The rain was coming down really hard now. Soul glanced at the clock. 8:49. Maka was never late, so she should be home soon. Unlike her father, Maka's punctuality was one of her better traits. He hoped Spirit wouldn't be so irresponsible as to make her walk outside in this kind of weather.

"Did she even bring an umbrella today?" he muttered, watching the rain splatter almost angrily against the window. And it had been so nice that morning, too. Which meant Maka probably hadn't brought an umbrella, since there had been no indication of rain. She was probably outside right now, maybe walking with her father, in that pouring rain. If she wasn't careful, she was going to catch her death of cold. Had her father thought to bring an umbrella along?

"Che. Why should I be worried? She's with her father! He wouldn't let her get sick." He spoke aloud to nobody in particular. Even to his own ears, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself.

His eyes flicked to the clock again. 8:54. If Maka didn't get home soon, he was going out after her, rain or no rain. She shouldn't have been out in that kind of weather at all. It wasn't healthy to be out when it was as cold as it was now, nor in such terrible rain. She would really get sick if she was out in that.

…And why did he care so much? It wasn't like he liked her or anything… right? She was just a flat-chested, short, skinny girl who still wore her hair in childish pigtails and kept pestering him to do homework and study. Why the heck would he, the epitome of cool, ever like her?

"Yeah. I don't like her. Of course not." He spoke the words aloud, and once again they rang false in his ears. Sighing, he glanced at the clock again. 9:01. It was time to go after her.

Shrugging on a rainjacket, he glanced at the umbrellas by the door before grabbing one. It wasn't like he could hold an umbrella while riding his bike. Making sure he had his keys on him, he flicked off the lights and headed out, locking the door behind him.

The rain pounded his shoulders heavily as he started his bike up and rode into the night.

If he hadn't been scouring the streets for Maka, Soul probably would have missed the couple walking by him, huddled close together under a large umbrella. As it was, he more or less dismissed the pair, until he realized the guy had longish red dreadlocks.

He screeched to a halt, turning back to stare. The man had just bent to drop a light kiss on the woman's face, caressing her cheek in one hand while his other drifted lower.

Soul didn't recognize the woman. But he certainly recognized the man.

A cold feeling seizing his heart, he sped towards Shibusen, no longer searching the streets. Knowing Maka, when her father hadn't shown up at the agreed time, she had continued to wait for him, hoping he would come for her eventually.

But now Soul knew with an awful certainty that he would never appear, and Maka would wait there faithfully, with eternal patience, until someone found her.

Water dripped down Maka's face. It streamed in tiny creeks and rivulets over her cheeks, falling unceremoniously to the ground, disappearing unnoticed among the thousands of other drops already there. She didn't know whether the droplets covering her face were the tears of the sky or tears of her own.

At that point, she didn't even care. Her father had never appeared. She felt so lonely. She had waited for her father for so long. Why wasn't he here? Why wasn't anyone there? The cold rain drenched her, mercilessly pounding her body. She could almost imagine the icy shards piercing her skin, drawing blood to mingle with the other drops already streaming towards the ground. It was making her shiver, a deep ache spreading into her bones.

Abruptly, the steady downpour of rain stopped. She could still see the raindrops pattering against the ground, could still hear the sound of a million watery bullets waging war against the dark surface of the world, but none of them were hitting her any more.

Looking upwards, she saw the familiar dark canopy of an umbrella, shielding her from the harsh attack of the heavens. It was held by a hand, which was attached to a heart achingly familiar face.

If Maka hadn't been crying before, she certainly was now. Not that Soul could tell, due to the rainwater still dripping from her hair.

He extended a hand to her, and she numbly took it. Softly, he said, "Let's go home, Maka."

With gentle force, he tugged her into the shelter of the school, keeping the umbrella above her head at all times. Absently, she realized this left his own head unprotected from the elements, and his carefully styled hair was now plastered flat against his head. He had always been so worried about his appearance. And now he looked for all the world like a half-drowned rat. Had it been any other time, she probably would have laughed.

Instead, she followed him quietly into the school. The sound of their wet shoes squeaking against the smooth tiles was the only sound they made as they traveled back to where Soul's bike was parked.

Despite being inside the school, water still dripped unceasingly from Maka's face. No longer rainwater, the droplets left a small trail of sorrow behind them, eclipsed by the larger puddles of their footsteps.

Climbing onto his motorbike, Soul motioned for Maka to sit down behind him, the way she always had. He passed her the umbrella, silently giving her the task of keeping them both from getting soaked even more than they already were. The engine caught immediately, as though the bike was just as eager to get home as they were, and Soul expertly guided the machine onto the familiar path home.

As they wove through the confusing streets of Death City, they passed a couple holding a tryst under a large, black umbrella. Soul felt Maka freeze behind him, stiffening against his back until it felt like a statue was sitting in her spot. Twisting, Soul cursed silently at his stupidity. He should have taken a different route home. He should never have come back this way. He should have remembered what would be awaiting them on this street.

Really, though, it was quite incredible that Spirit and his woman were still there in the same spot, still kissing, after half an hour. It was even more incredible that neither of them had noticed Soul or Maka zooming past, especially when one considered that Maka was Spirit's daughter. Soul ground his teeth, knowing that Maka was stunned by the knowledge her father had blown her off for some nameless girl he'd probably just met.

Quickly, he turned a corner, taking them away from the scene of Spirit kissing that woman. Soul could still feel Maka trembling against his back, shivering not from cold but shock. He wished he knew how to comfort her.

But he didn't, so he stayed silent and just continued to direct the bike towards the home that they shared.

The small detour cost them an extra 15 minutes to get home. By the time they entered the house, it was almost 11. Immediately after entering the house, Soul ordered Maka to go and take a hot shower, bracing himself for the complaints that would inevitably come. Maka hated it when Soul ordered her around. However, to his surprise, she meekly complied, shuffling obediently into the bathroom.

Worried, Soul stared after her, then shook his head and grabbed a towel to sit on. Sighing, he stared blankly into space as his thoughts raced around in his head.

Maka wasn't acting like herself. She hadn't said a thing since he'd found her, just following him silently all over the place. When he told her to do something, she almost always complained, or told him he had no right to order her around. But today, she had just silently followed his orders. It was really worrying. This wasn't the girl he knew. This wasn't the girl he had come to trust. This wasn't the girl he had partnered with for so long.

This wasn't the girl he had started to like.

Absorbed by his own thoughts, he jumped when the bathroom door opened. Maka stood there, damp hair unbound and loose around her shoulders, eyes still blank with shock, dressed in her usual pajamas. She was so pale, eyes stark in her white complexion, movements so stiff and jerky from shock, that Soul could almost have mistaken her for a wraith or a zombie. Soul took a second to calm his racing heart, then firmly told her to get to bed immediately. Once again, she obeyed, slowly making her way to her room.

Soul watched her go, a feeling of deep guilt racking his heart. If he hadn't let her wait alone, maybe she wouldn't be so hurt now. If he hadn't waited so long to go after her, maybe she wouldn't have felt abandoned. If he hadn't taken that exact route home, maybe she wouldn't have seen that scene which had so broken her spirit.

His eyes followed her progress, ears straining to hear the rustling of her covers as she got into bed, then hearing the click as she turned off the lights. Sighing, he stood and went into the bathroom himself. He needed a hot shower too.

But even the warm water wasn't enough to relax Soul. He lay awake the entire night, unable to sleep as worry filled his brain, pervading every thought and robbing him of rest.

Would Maka recover from tonight?

A/N: Sorry for making Spirit so cruel! And I apologize if I misnamed the school and city, I've kind of forgot… haven't watched/read it in a while o.O Please correct any mistakes you may have found!  
EDIT: I've put in the scene breaks and made a few small changes, nothing much. Hope you enjoy reading this~


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: You all know perfectly well that I don't own Soul Eater. Or anything to do with it.

Ch. 2

"Soul! Soul, wake up! Get up already!" The incessant voice shouting at him forcefully dragged Soul out of the realm of sleep, pulling him back to a world he wasn't quite ready for yet.

Groaning, he pulled the covers over his head, muttering, "Just 5 more minutes, Maka… gimme 5 minutes more…"

Suddenly, right beside his ear, the voice yowled, "SOUL!" startling him. Soul sprang upright, arm already transformed into a blade, ready for any danger that might be lurking. Blinking, he finally realized there was no danger, just a small cat wearing a witch's hat that was ridiculously large on it.

"Oh, morning Blaire." Letting his arm return to human form, Soul let out a jaw-splitting yawn, scratching his head as he scanned the room lazily for a clock. "What time is it…" His eyes bulged as they spotted a clock at last, and he leapt out of bed, all but ignoring Blaire's frantic mewls as he raced around, trying to do 10 things at once. "Dammit Maka, why didn't you wake me up? We're late already!" he yelled.

"Maka CHOP!" Instantly felled by the powerful blow, Soul fell limply to the ground. Recovering almost instantly, he rolled onto his back to glare at his assailant.

"Blaire, when the heck did you learn to do that?"

The cat glared right back, tail twitching threateningly as she hissed, "Out of necessity. If you calmed down for just a minute and actually listened to me, you would know that Maka didn't wake you up because she's sick! She's got a really, really high fever, and she's in no condition to even get out of bed, let alone try and wake you up! Even so, she still told me to go wake you up since she didn't want you to be late! And this is the thanks we get? Well excuse me, Soul, next time you can just wake up on your own!" After that lengthy tirade, Blaire turned and stalked out of the room, tail waving proudly in the air, leaving a rather stunned Soul behind her.

Really, Soul hadn't heard much of the rant other than the first two sentences. "High fever…?" he muttered, eyes blinking rapidly as he slowly processed it. "Shit, I knew standing out in the rain like that was going to have bad consequences!" Jolted into action, he finally finished pulling on his pants before running out of his room, making a beeline for Maka's room.

Throwing her door open, Soul barged into the room, taking in Maka's flushed face and soaked skin. "Oh Maka…" he muttered, ignoring Blaire's still-upset expression as he grabbed a nearby towel, dabbing the sweat from Maka's brow. Leaving for just a moment, he returned with a basin of ice-cold water, continuing to dab at Maka's face, hoping it would actually do something.

She stirred, and Soul found himself inordinately relieved as her eyes opened to stare at him. What was there to be relieved about? It wasn't like the flu killed people… right? To cover his confusion, he said, "Good, you're awake." She merely smiled weakly at him. "Geez, what were you thinking, staying out in the rain like that? You should have stayed inside. Baka," he muttered, the insult lacking its usual venom. "You really worried me, you know that?"

Her smile turned apologetic. "Sorry about that." Soul was startled to hear how soft and scratchy her voice had become. The flu had hit her bad.

"Just take better care of yourself," he told her, dabbing at her face a bit more. Remembering something, he turned to her dresser, swiping the medicine he'd grabbed earlier. "Here, take some medicine," he said, handing her the container of pills as he poured her a cup of water. Obediently, she swallowed the bitter-tasting pill, grimacing as she washed it down with the warm water.

"Hey, Soul, shouldn't you be at school?" Wincing, Soul threw another glance at the clock. Well, even if he left now, he'd only catch the last 10 minutes or so of first block. There was no real use in leaving now. He'd skip first block and recess, and head in for block 2.

"Oh, I woke up late. Don't worry, I'll go in for block 2. And I'll get all your assignments and stuff, don't worry. Just stay home and take good care of yourself, all right?" he said. Maka smiled and nodded weakly. It hurt Soul to see her so weak. He had never thought of her as a weak person- she was always confident, headstrong, and she had plans for her future. Seeing her brought down like this… He hoped she got better soon.

About to leave, he asked, "Hey, what do you wanna eat tonight?"

She shook her head. "It's my turn to cook, you cooked last night. I'm at home all day anyways."

"You didn't eat dinner last night anyways. Besides, you're sick. I don't want your germs in my food." It was a weak excuse, but he couldn't really say that he just didn't want her overexerting herself. That would mean he cared. "I'll cook." He said firmly. "So what do you want?"

Sighing, she gave in. There wasn't much else she could do. "You decide," she murmured. "I don't really care.

But Soul was being stubborn. "Pick something. Anything."

"… how about burgers? That way you don't have to cook," she offered.

Soul frowned, but it seemed that Maka was adamant about not causing him any trouble. "Fine. We'll get burgers. What about dessert?"

"Wildberry pie," she said without hesitation. "Mama used to make it all the time," she added, seeing the surprise on Soul's face. "But I haven't found a place in Death City that makes a good one yet… could you try to find one? It's ok if it's too much trouble," she hastened to add.

Cutting across her, Soul said, "Don't worry. I'll get a good one. So, burgers and pie for dinner. All right then." Hesitating slightly, he reached for a towel and wiped her face one last time. "Take it easy, ok?" he said, voice astonishingly gentle. "Get better soon."

Their eyes met, and Maka felt herself drowning in Soul's dark red eyes. She used to think they were like blood, she thought wildly. Their crimson colour had always reminded her of the red blood that ran in their arteries. But now that she thought about it, the colour of Soul's eyes wasn't nearly as ominous as blood. It was a dark red, but… more like a rose's, she thought. Or maybe raspberries. Either one worked, she supposed. Thorny, tough, but protecting a beautiful or sweet Soul… now she was getting ridiculous.

Soul blinked, and the moment was gone. He turned away, and Maka let out a gentle, inaudible sigh. As he walked out the door, he called back once more, "Take care of yourself."

Maka heard the front door shut. Sighing again, she leaned back against the pillows. Eyes roaming listlessly around the room, they landed on a picture taken years ago, framed and sitting on her bedside table. Reaching over, her fingers just brushed the frame, and she managed to pick it up and bring it closer to her for another look.

Behind the smooth glass covering was an image, perfectly preserved, of three people, laughing and smiling joyously at the camera. There was a younger Spirit, red dreadlocks tied back into a short ponytail. He was grinning at the camera, one arm wrapped lovingly around a woman. She was smiling too, and Maka could see herself in the woman's face. The features were much the same- she'd taken more after Mama than Spirit, thank God. Fingers roving over the faces, Maka stopped at the last face, perched high atop her parents' shoulders, laughing gleefully down at the cameraman, secure in the knowledge that her parents would never let her fall.

Staring at a younger version of herself, Maka felt the first tear slide down her cheek. When had she changed from that carefree, naïve little girl into the cynical, distrustful girl she was now? Was it her mother's disappearance that had caused it? Or was it the lie that her father told, time and time again? _Papa loves you and Mama the most. _And then he would go and get into yet another woman's pants.

Maka carefully replaced the picture on the bedside table, turning it so she couldn't see the faces of her past staring out at her. Swallowing the hard lump in her throat, she rolled over so she couldn't see the picture or its frame at all.

She had been willing to make amends with her father. She had been willing to forgive and forget all his past misdemeanors, and become father and daughter once again. They had met for dinner so many times already without incident. She had just started to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, they could still save their relationship.

And then he had ditched her for some blonde bimbo. Had he even remembered his daughter? Had he ever paused, thinking that maybe he had forgotten some important meeting? Or had he never given any of that a single thought?

The tears just wouldn't stop. Angrily, Maka swiped at them with one hand. This was why one should never trust guys. They always lied. They always betrayed you. No matter how much they seemed to care, they would always end up leaving you for someone dumber, richer, prettier. Whatever it was that attracted them to females.

Maka wasn't going to fall into that trap. She would be independent. She would work to make her own life. Yes, she needed Soul, but only as a weapon. She would never like him, give her heart to him, let him have the power to break her completely. She would never let anyone hurt her the way Spirit had with his betrayal.

If she had to close herself off from the world, then so be it. Who needed other people. They just ended up hurting you, betraying you, leaving you alone and never looking back.

Soul stared at the recipe in his hand, then looked back at the half-formed pie on the counter before him. Good. It was looking like it should at that state… meaning it looked more or less like a whole lot of mush. Not too appetizing at the moment.

Stirring in the flour slowly, he picked up what now looked much more like what pie crust should look like, and carefully pressed it into the pie pan he had found in the school's kitchen.

It had been a while since he'd baked. It had been one of his hobbies when he was young, but after moving in with Maka, he'd all but stopped baking. It was bad enough that she saw him cooking; to see him baking would have stripped away all his manly pride in one fell swoop.

But Maka had been right when she said there were no good wildberry pies to be found in Death City. Soul had asked everyone. _Everyone._ Even Shinigami-sama, who was bound to know if there was a good bakery in his city. But nobody could give him the name of a place with a good wildberry pie. So he'd resorted to this.

He sure hoped Maka liked the pie, because he was risking his reputation as a man for this.

Continuing with the next part, he pulled out the berries, which had been setting in the fridge for a while. The gooey sweet syrup poured thickly from the bowl into the pie pan, oozing and filling the crust easily.

This was going to be one damn good pie, if Soul did say so himself.

The door opened, and Soul's slightly bored voice called out, "I'm home!" Maka glanced at the clock. It was a little later than when they usually got home. Had something happened at school?

"Soul, you're later than normal. Did something happen?" Soul froze for a moment. At the end of lunch, he'd placed the pie in the oven, setting the timer so it wouldn't overbake, and had gone right after school to pull it out and put on the finishing touches. It had taken longer than he'd expected, hence his late return to their home.

"Uh, nothing much. Just Kid causing a scene again. Something about the number of people in the school being an odd number. And I had to go pick up the burgers for dinner." He held up the paper take-out bag, hoping his excuse about the students wouldn't be proved wrong. He had a 50% chance of being right, didn't he?

Maka nodded, seeming to accept it. "Kid's always too hung up over symmetry. He should really learn to relax. Thanks for picking up the burgers." It was then that she caught sight of the box in Soul's hands. "Oh, what's in the box?"

He looked down at it. "Oh, it's nothing. You'll find out later." Grinning at her almost petulant expression, he stuck it in the fridge. "You should eat while this is still hot," he added, pushing a burger in front of her. "And I know you like their fries, so I got a box of those as well." Pulling the container out from the bag, he set it on the table in front of her, also grabbing the ketchup packets.

Maka, despite her decision not to get close to anyone, felt Soul's compassion touching her heart. He was so caring, she thought. Maybe he would be the one guy that _wouldn't _end up leaving her.

Then she shook herself. Of course he would. Hadn't she thought Spirit was pretty caring as well, those few times they went out to eat? And then he'd abandoned her. Soul would probably do the same eventually, when he found a prettier girl. Subdued all over again, she bit into her burger, unable to enjoy it as much as she normally would.

Soul noticed her rather listless attitude and wondered at it. Burgers were Maka's favourite, so what was wrong? She was normally ecstatic whenever they got burgers. Frowning, he said anxiously, "Are you feeling ok? Do the burgers taste weird or something? Should I have heated them up a bit more before eating?" He was fretting overmuch, he knew, but he couldn't stop himself.

Maka shook her head, taking a heartier bite of the burger in a futile attempt to convince Soul everything was fine. "No, it's perfect. Thanks a lot for going to all the trouble for me," she said through a mouthful of burger. If anything, her uncharacteristic lack of manners made Soul frown even more. She was trying too hard to seem enthusiastic. There was definitely something wrong.

But as he bit into his own burger, he thought it tasted just fine. So then, it had something to do with Maka. She was probably upset about something or other. Sighing, Soul kept a wary eye on his meister as they finished their dinner in silence.

Maka chomped dejectedly on a fry, staring blankly at a patch of the table before her. She knew Soul was worrying about her, but she didn't owe him anything, she thought fiercely. If she showed her heart to him, he would no doubt take advantage of her weakness. Then she'd end up hurt all over again.

Suddenly, Soul stood up, and Maka blinked up at him. A sly smile curving his lips, he ducked into the kitchen for a moment, before returning with the plain box that had caught Maka's attention earlier. Curiosity aroused once again, Maka stared intently at the box as Soul placed it on the table before her. Then, with a flourish, the lid came off, revealing a beautiful, perfect pie.

"Oh! You did find one!" Maka exclaimed, the pattern of crossed pie crusts revealing smooth, gooey fruit syrup underneath. Delighted, she found herself hugging Soul. "Thanks so much! You really did find a wildberry pie!" Suddenly, she remembered herself, and flushed with embarrassment as she disentangled herself from Soul.

Grinning at her enthusiastic response, Soul brought out a knife and carefully cut the pie, sliding the first piece onto her plate. He was a bit nervous now- what if it hadn't turned out that well? He hadn't baked many pies, sticking more to muffins and cookies, smaller things. He watched Maka's face anxiously as she took her first bite.

Her eyes widened as the sweet goodness hit her tongue, fresh fruitiness making her close her eyes in delight. "Mmm… It's really good!" she exclaimed, taking another bite. "Where did you get it?" She asked Soul, devouring the rest of her pie.

Relieved at the great reception, Soul placed another piece of pie on her plate as he replied cheekily, "I made it."

Maka let out a genuine laugh- Soul was glad she was laughing again, even if it was at his expense. "You? Nice try, Soul. No, really, where'd you get it?" His cheeky tone had convinced her he was joking.

Adopting a wounded expression, Soul protested, "No, really, I made it!" Maka just laughed again, letting the subject drop for now.

As she stared down at her second piece of pie, she finally decided that Soul's eyes looked just like the syrup of the mixed berries. A deceptively simple person, yet when you finally got to know him, you realized that he was complex, made up of so many different personalities, but all of which blended together perfectly to make him… well, him.

Later, after Soul had sent her to bed- she'd shown a bit of her normal fire at being ordered around, to Soul's relief- he went to clear the dinner table and wash the plates.

Just before he went to bed, he stopped by Maka's room. She had already fallen asleep once again. A tender expression crossing his face- if anyone had seen it, he would have killed them- he brushed a hand across her cheek, patting a wayward strand of hair back into place. He bent lower and lower, until Maka's face was mere inches away from his own. Softly, so softly he hardly felt it himself, their lips brushed for just an instant, before he pulled away again.

A slight smile crossed his lips as he murmured, "I really did make it, Maka." This time, it lacked the teasing note it had at dinner. Thank goodness Maka was asleep, else he would really have lost his manly reputation. Turning, he gently shut the door to her room and went to bed himself.

Behind the closed door, Maka opened her eyes, staring into the darkness as she wondered just what those last moments had meant.

A/N: Wow, a much longer chapter. These are like the longest chapters I've ever written! Go me! Anyways… one more chapter to go~


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Soul Eater. If I did, I'd be working on the next chapter of the manga or something, rather than writing this.

Ch. 3

"Maka, you sure you want to go to school today? Maybe you should take another day off, go to school tomorrow instead." Worried eyes stared at Maka as she bustled around the kitchen, gathering her somehow scattered school things.

She shook her head. "I've missed too many days of school already! If I miss any more, I'll fall to the bottom of the class." It had taken a week for Maka to recover from her cold.

Soul snorted at that- it wasn't like she could ever be stupider than Black Star- but let it pass. If Maka wanted to go to school, then it was her decision. He supposed he would just have to watch out for her a bit more than he usually did.

"Well, if you're determined to go to school, we'd better leave now. Not too good to be late on your first day back." Maka heard the comment, choosing to ignore it for now. Soul was obviously exaggerating- there was no way it was _that_ late. Finally spotting her pencil case- how the heck it had gotten behind the sofa, she didn't know- she placed it in her bag, finished with her preparations at last. She glanced at the clock to assure herself they weren't late.

"Oh no! We should have left 5 minutes ago! What are you waiting for, Soul?" she cried out, suddenly desperate to be gone.

"You," Soul muttered cheekily, receiving a glare for his truthful statement. Rolling his eyes, Soul ushered Maka out the door, locking it behind them before getting the bike started.

Slight speeding and a few risky shortcuts got them to school well before the first bell rang. Soul dropped a slightly rattled Maka off at the front of the school before peeling away to find a parking spot.

While Soul cruised around to the back to park, Maka climbed up the familiar steps to Shibusen. It had really been a while since she'd been here, she mused. A week seemed like such a long time. Smiling, she pushed open the front doors, ready to face a new day.

As soon as she set foot inside the building, a loud, raucous voice yelled out, "Maaakaaaa!" She didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. It was as though she was frozen to the spot- she couldn't move as her father raced towards her, pulling her into a crushing embrace. "Oh, Maka, Papa's been so worried about you! Where have you been? What happened? Did you get hurt?"

Maka somehow found the energy to move, even if she couldn't yet talk. Her father, after leaving her out in the cold rain, had the gall to ask what had happened, and where she'd been? He had the nerve to pretend he still cared? A terrible hollow feeling clenching in her chest, she ducked out of her father's embrace, ignoring his protests and complaints as she left him behind, heading towards her class.

Soul caught the tail end of the encounter as he entered the school a few minutes later than Maka. Hands curling into fists, he approached Spirit with cold fire in his eyes. Maka's father, not noticing anything strange, turned to Soul and started ranting. "That child! Always spurning her father… what kind of kid is she? Can't she see how much I love her? Although she was acting a bit weird today… avoiding my hugs is normal, but she didn't say anything! What happened? Unless she got sick and lost her voice or something But if she's sick, she shouldn't be at school! I'd better go after her…" Before Soul had contributed a single word to the one-sided conversation, Spirit turned to go.

The taller Death Scythe halted suddenly, turning shocked eyes downwards to his jacket sleeve, before staring at the audacious boy before him. "What the…" he muttered, frowning at Soul. "Let go!" he demanded, tugging on his sleeve.

Soul didn't let go. Anger-filled eyes pierced Spirit, freezing him in place. Quietly, Soul asked, "Do you know what you did a week ago? Monday, after school?"

Spirit, confused by the seemingly random question, thought back. He'd met up with… with… what was her name again? Not that he could tell the boy that anyways. "I, uh, had a mission to do. For Shinigami-sama. You know, being a Death Scythe and all…" He smiled charmingly at the boy, hoping he'd take the flimsy excuse.

He didn't. If anything, Soul's eyes narrowed further. "Liar. I saw you with a woman."

Sighing, Spirit didn't deny it. "All right, I met up with a woman. So?" he challenged. It wasn't like it hurt anyone. Meeting with a beautiful lady wasn't wrong.

Soul blinked. And blinked again. The anger seemed to have faded from his eyes, replaced instead by shock. He'd expected Spirit to have blown Maka off in favor of getting into some woman's pants. But from the looks of it, Spirit had completely forgotten about the arrangement. Did that make his crime better or worse, Soul wondered?

"You… did you have anything important planned on that Monday?" he pressed, wanting to be sure.

Spirit shook his head emphatically. "Nope! Nothing important at all. Which is why I went into that bar in the first place," he grinned, remembering just how he'd met up with a beautiful blonde… or was it a brunette… or maybe even a redhead. He didn't remember any more. Too many girls, he thought to himself, grinning slightly.

Suddenly, he became aware of a distinctive aura of hatred emanating from the boy before him. Spirit stopped in his reminiscing to blink in consternation at Soul. Just what was going on? Glancing behind him, Spirit didn't see anyone other than a stream of latecomers rushing towards their classes. What was wrong?

Soul soon answered his question. "Bastard, you don't even know what you've done." Spirit's eyes widened in shock. About to reprimand the boy and warn him to use better manners, he was cut off by Soul's next words.

"You hurt Maka really, really badly that day. You ditched her, for crying out loud! And for what? Yet another nameless, faceless woman! You fucking bastard." Spirit could almost feel the sharp insults digging into him, but what really hurt was the sudden realization that he _had_ planned something important that day. He'd forgotten the most important person of all- his daughter. How could he have done such a thing?

But Soul wasn't done. "She waited for over 6 _hours_, in pouring rain, for you to show up. 6 hours. And what were you doing during those 6 hours? That's right, getting into some woman's skirt." Spirit almost protested- he hadn't gotten into that woman's skirt until after 12- but he subsided at Soul's glare.

"She's been sick this entire week due to your antics. She had a fever of almost 110. 110 degrees. You, her father, her own father, were the cause of it." Paling, Spirit finally realized the full impact of his crimes. Eyes widening in his suddenly pasty face, he stared at Soul in shock.

"I don't care how useful you are or aren't to Shinigami-sama. If you hurt Maka like this again, Death Scythe or not, I _will _kill you." Leaving the threat hanging in the air, Soul let go of Spirit's sleeve almost violently before stalking off towards class. He was late by now, but he didn't really care. Still shaking with rage, he burst into the classroom, ignoring his peers' curious stares as he went to his seat and sat down roughly.

From behind a pillar in the hallway, a pair of soft green eyes watched as her father slowly started walking away. He'd forgotten about her, she realized with a terrible sinking feeling. He really had forgotten about her, and had gone off with some woman without another thought for his daughter.

But Maka still remembered those passionate wildberry eyes sparking with anger, confronting a Death Scythe for her sake. She remembered Soul hissing, "If you hurt Maka like this again, I _will _kill you." Her lips curved into a slight smile.

Over the past week, Soul had been so caring, so gentle with her. He had shown a completely different side than he normally did. Usually, he was cold, almost rude to her, in accordance with his "cool" image. But while she was sick, he had made sure she wanted for nothing, and catered to her every whim. Heck, he'd even baked her a pie!

And now, he'd revealed yet another facet of his personality. His protectiveness had shocked Maka, especially the fact that it was for her. He really did care about her, she realized, smile widening just a little further.

Soul wasn't going to leave her just like that. He cared far too much, she thought giddily. Imagine that- a boy actually caring about her. But then again, Soul wasn't exactly a normal boy. For one thing, he could transform into a weapon. For another, his piano playing was mind-blowing. Maka could still remember the haunting melody he'd played just for her the first time they'd met.

And he baked a damn good pie.

Smiling, Maka found that she had the courage to face the new day properly now. She could even face her father if she had to. Because now, she had someone supporting her silently, even if he didn't show it. But Maka knew he was.

Even if you can't see the sugar in the jam, it's still there, and you know it is when you taste its sweet flavor.

When Maka strode into class 15 minutes late, people chalked it up to her being sick and waking up late due to that. But her eyes met Soul's, and she saw the worry in their warm red depths.

She smiled reassuringly at him, telling him wordlessly that she was fine now. And as she turned away to talk to her other friends as well, assuaging their fears, she saw relief flood his expression at the evident return of her normal personality.

That was their first beginning. The start of a beautiful relationship, and one that would last for ever.

*** Owari ***

A/N: Wow, cheesy ending, but I didn't know how else to cut it off. *coffs embarrassedly…* Well, hope you enjoyed this little 3-shot! Although the chapter lengths were a bit weird… the second one was like twice as long as the third o.O Anyways, R&R please!


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